Unfortunately, the season’s fun has taken a toll on the denizens of our home (besides me so far). I’ve got one 102 degree fever, two sore throats, one runny nose and a headache on my hands. Jello is in the fridge and restorative dishes are on the menu.

Sunday: Nina Simonds‘s Cinnamon Beef Noodles are first up. This is an Asian beef stew, filled with ginger, garlic and cinnamon. The scent of this soup is amazing, and tends to make it past even the worst stuffed nose. See Simonds’s Asian Noodles cookbook for the recipe as it is not online. A bit of a challenge, since it appears to be out of print, but the book is available used, and well-worth acquiring if you like this kind of food.

Monday: Oh yes, it’s time for Shrimp & Soba Noodles, one of my favorite meals even in healthy times. The combination of shrimp, cilantro, lime and scallions with salty soba noodles is the best. According to the chef who created this, “The sour (lime) juice protects the respiratory system…and cilantro helps when you’re congested.”